From Justin To Kelly (2003)

8% of critics liked it
(60 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(51,897 ratings)

From the producer and writer of Spice World and the director of She's All That comes this musical comedy inspired by and featuring the stars of Fox's hit reality show American Idol. Starring the winner and runner-up of the show's first season, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, as slightly… More From the producer and writer of Spice World and the director of She's All That comes this musical comedy inspired by and featuring the stars of Fox's hit reality show American Idol. Starring the winner and runner-up of the show's first season, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, as slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, From Justin to Kelly attempts to recreate the atmosphere of the fun-loving beach musicals of the 1960s. When Kelly (Clarkson) and Justin (Guarini) embark on a vacation in search of some fun in the sun with their respective groups of friends, the two meet and fall for each other at first sight. Unfortunately, a series of comedic mishaps and hijinks gets in the way of them getting together. Several song-and-dance numbers ensue. In addition to Clarkson and Guarini, the film stars Greg Siff, Brian Dietzen, and Katherine Bailess. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Robert Iscove
Written By: Kim Fuller
Genres: Television, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 20, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Aug 26, 2003
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
How bad is From Justin to Kelly? Set in Miami during spring break, it's like Grease: The Next Generation acted out by the food-court staff at SeaWorld.
Heather Havrilesky, Salon.com
One of the worst movies you'll ever see -- but it's still not worth seeing.
Laura Sinagra, Village Voice
Amid this glad tumble of Limited lycra ... surreality seeps in: American flags fly prominently; and despite sideline breakin', all rappers are white.
Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times
From Justin to Kelly is less a movie than a big-screen bobblehead of Fox TV's phenomenon American Idol.
Karen Heller, Philadelphia Inquirer
[From Justin to Kelly] is basically a more wholesome MTV Dance Party, the musical festivities interrupted every so often to search for a plot.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Industrial-strength insipidity diluted only marginally by bad music and worse dancing.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Idol film expands 15 minutes of fame.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Television propelled teen idolatry-%u2013the kind that Moses would probably have disapproved-%u2013gets its ugly comeuppance...
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
This is such a manipulative product placing piece of dribble that it reeks of failure.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
More than anything, From Justin To Kelly needs Simon Cowell.
David Foucher, EDGE Boston
Is it too late to vote them off? For once, we don't have to tell you how bad a film is... you knew before they made it.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Since I've never watched an episode of "American Idol," I can't imagine what Justin or Kelly did to win. It surely couldn't have been singing, dancing, or acting...."
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The movie is billed as a romantic musical comedy. You coulda fooled me.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
Watching them lock lips feels like incest propaganda: Justin and Kelly are offspring of the same publicity machinery, after all
Stephen Himes, Film Snobs
From Justin to Kelly is bad, but Glitter is still worse because Glitter thinks it's a great movie.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
From Justin to Kelly is just one of those films, a bottomless well of snark fodder that may come and go in theatres but will surely be spun innumerable times on DVD at parties in the years to come.
Paul Clinton (Boxoffice), Boxoffice Magazine
Fans of the television show may show up for this one, but given that an American Idol sequel has already ended its run, audiences are likely to find it stale.
Steve Davis, Austin Chronicle
Moulin Rouge ... Chicago ... From Justin to Kelly ... two steps forward and then about 16 steps back for the film musical.
Gerry Shamray, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
It's more dumbfounding that so much time is wasted on a cast of unknowns, second-stringers granted solos long before Kelly or Justin take center stage. Why not support with other first-season alums?
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
The notion behind it is as contrived, forced, manipulated and fake as any film ever made.

Read all 24 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Spencer S

Anyone who can make it through this movie, in its entirety, without fast forwarding or crying violently for long periods of time are in fact saints, and their miracles should be recognized by the church. This giant commercial for the series American Idol stars season one winner Kelly… More
Anyone who can make it through this movie, in its entirety, without fast forwarding or crying violently for long periods of time are in fact saints, and their miracles should be recognized by the church. This giant commercial for the series American Idol stars season one winner Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini as two star crossed lovers. The scene is set during spring break, on a beachfront somewhere Floridian, calling upon the Avalon and Funicello beach musicals of the sixties. Instead of the fun froth of those classics, we're given a series of songs and dance sequences that are reliant on the time period they are set: 2003. Let's remember that year in pop music and flinch at the fact we were all singing Clay Aiken's This is the Night, and move on. Besides the fact that the music isn't enjoyable (even in a guilty pleasure sort of way) and the acting is stale, the actual actors are annoying. Kelly's friends are air headed and uninvolved while Justin's are either pure sleaze without admonishment or cookie cutter dorky, the same sludge we've all seen a million times before. The only reason these two characters aren't together (though they spend a mili-second in each other's presence before falling in love, but I digress) is because of a plotting blonde friend, described as a "party girl" who isn't trying to change. There is no point to this, and because it's so lame brained and uninteresting, the surrounding sub-plots don't lend anything to the film except pith. The only redeeming value is Anika Noni Rose's singing voice, which would later be featured in the Oscar nominated Dreamgirls and The Princess and the Frog. Oh, and the title? I am clueless to its supposed charm. Not worth a curious glance, nor a runthrough.
Rachel F

Kind of a waste of money.
Lafe F

Fun musical fluffiness, mostly for the girls. Yup, there's lots of singing and frivolity in this film, with a very light plot. No worse than most Elvis movies.
Jennifer X

yes, i have actually seen this because my friend bought it on payperview (?!) and it was all that i expected: complete trash.
Sanjaya &

I'll love Kelly Clarkson... But I was annoying by Justin & the others... Maybe this is a movie made by the beauty and the beast of course...
Joseph E

Not even worth the prestige of being called the worst Musical ever. Cause it will be the worst Musical ever forvever.
Brett W

This film wasn't spectacular or anything, but personally I think there just aren't enough feature length music videos these days...an art that seems to have died with Elvis. What I want is for more serious artists to start taking the genre seriously: Radiohead stars in… More
This film wasn't spectacular or anything, but personally I think there just aren't enough feature length music videos these days...an art that seems to have died with Elvis. What I want is for more serious artists to start taking the genre seriously: Radiohead stars in "Suicide at Party Beach"